Canton Symphony Presents 44th Annual Kinder Concert Today

The Canton Symphony Orchestra (CSO) will present its 44th annual Kinder Concert, titled "Touch the Brightest Star" today, April 13, at 9:45 and 10:45am and tomorrow, April 14, at 9:45am in the Great Court of Canton's Cultural Center for the Arts. The full-orchestra concert is designed to engage and educate children in grades Pre-K through First and will be conducted by CSO Associate Conductor Dr. Rachel L. Waddell.

The CSO has been performing the Kinder Concert annually since 1978. This year's concert features the children's book Touch the Brightest Star by Christie Matheson, an interactive story that invites the children to be part of the magic of the night sky. Dr. Waddell will read the book during the concert and conduct the orchestra in excerpts from Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream. CSO Director of Education and Community Engagement Lisa Boyer explains, "This delightful book asks children to touch, tap, blink, whisper, and more to make magic happen in the nighttime sky, from sunset to sunrise. Language arts and science concepts are introduced through an engaging book and Mendelssohn's music works extremely well with it and allows the children to hear all the wonderful sounds in the orchestra. And we are so pleased that local artist Joe Martino will also be featured as he 'paints along' during the performance, creating a special piece of art inspired by the book and music."

The Kinder Concert programs are open to the public as well as school groups. Tickets are $5 for each performance and can be purchased online atwww.cantonsymphony.org or by calling the Canton Symphony box office at330-452-2094 weekdays 9am - 5pm. There is a special rate for school groups - call Lisa Boyer at 330-452-3434 ext. 604 for more information.

Founded in 1937, the Canton Symphony Orchestra is a fully professional ensemble and organization dedicated to performing concerts that enrich, educate, and entertain residents of Stark County and beyond. The orchestra performs classical, holiday, and a variety of educational programs in Umstattd Hall, 2323 17th Street NW, Canton, Ohio, as well as other venues in Stark County. For more information, please visit www.cantonsymphony.org or call(330)452-2094. Administrative offices are located at the Zimmermann Symphony Center, 2331 17th Street NW, Canton OH 44708.